Write, or at least outline, the content before you finalise the layout. Layouts drawn around “Lorem ipsum” look tidy because the placeholder text is the perfect length, but real headlines, service descriptions and proof points are never that obliging. Starting from what visitors need to know, then shaping the design around it, is called content-first design, and it usually removes a round of rework late in the project.
What placeholder copy hides
Placeholder text makes every block look finished. The problems appear only when the real words arrive:
- A headline that fitted in 20 characters now needs 60 to say anything useful.
- A three-column “services” row meets a business that actually has five services, one of which needs a paragraph of explanation.
- A prominent “case studies” section is designed with no case studies to put in it.
- A page that was meant to be skimmable turns out to need a comparison table.
Each of these means redrawing a template that has already been approved, which is slower and more expensive than adjusting a rough outline.
What “content first” does and does not mean
It does not mean every word must be polished before a designer opens a file. It means the structure of the content is known: what each page must achieve, which questions it answers, what evidence supports it, and roughly how long each part is.
The UK government’s content design guidance puts the principle plainly: content design starts by taking a user need and meeting it in the best way possible. A business site is not a government service, but the logic carries over. Decide what the visitor is trying to do, then decide what content supports it, then choose the format.
Google’s own guidance on helpful, people-first content points the same way: content should leave a reader with enough understanding to reach their goal. A design built around thin placeholder text rarely achieves that.
A practical order of work
- List the visitor questions. What do prospects ask before they enquire? Gather them from enquiries, sales conversations and support emails.
- Map questions to pages. This is the basis of your site structure. Each page gets one job.
- Write a content brief per page. Purpose, audience, key message, proof, call to action, and a rough word count. The creative brief guide shows what a useful brief contains.
- Draft the real copy for the key pages. The home page, the main service page and the contact page are enough to start. Rough is fine; real is the point.
- Wireframe using that copy. Layout now responds to actual lengths, tables and lists.
- Design, then refine copy in context. Expect edits, but they will be edits, not rewrites.
Trade-offs and honest limits
Content-first work needs someone to own the writing. If the business cannot supply content, or approvals are slow, the project can stall waiting for words. A workable compromise is to write the key page content fully, and use clearly labelled outlines for secondary pages.
Some pages are genuinely design-led, such as a portfolio or a campaign landing page. Even then, the headline, offer and call to action should be real before layout is locked.
Also be wary of “write it later” being a budget decision. Copy written under time pressure after the design is approved tends to be squeezed into whatever space remains, which hurts clarity and, in turn, conversion.
A quick checklist before design starts
- Every page has a stated purpose and one primary action.
- The home page, one service page and the contact page have real draft copy.
- Proof (testimonials, credentials, examples) has been gathered, with permission, or is clearly marked as missing.
- Someone is named to approve content, with a deadline.
- Existing pages worth keeping are listed, which also protects search visibility if you are redesigning an existing site.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact’s Technology division builds and redesigns business websites and landing pages, and the planning of content and structure sits at the start of that work. See /technology for the services, or get in touch to talk through a project.
Sources
- Understand content design, GOV.UK Publishing guidance
- Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, Google Search Central
